2025 CFF Jury

Abre’ Conner leads national strategy to dismantle environmental racism and launched the organization’s first short film grant, Climate in Color: Reframing Our Future. A native of Lakeland, FL, she has taught at UC Davis School of Law and previously served as Directing Attorney of Health at the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, staff attorney at the ACLU of Northern California, and at the Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment. Her career spans roles with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, Capitol Hill, and the Obama Administration’s Office of Presidential Personnel. She serves on the ABA Board of Governors, Earthjustice’s Board of Trustees, and the EPA’s first HBCU-MSI Advisory Council. A graduate of American University Washington College of Law and the University of Florida, Conner has been widely recognized with numerous “40 under 40” honors and featured in outlets including The New York Times, Essence, Forbes, and the ABA Journal.

Alaina Demopoulos has been a daily features writer at the Guardian since 2022, where she writes about style, internet culture, and the way Gen Z lives. Before that, she was an editor at Allure magazine and a staff writer at The Daily Beast. She graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in dramatic writing. She was born in New Hampshire, but now she lives in Brooklyn with her street cat turned roommate, Vinny.

Aldo Juraidini Zorrilla is a designer working across disciplines, with a focus on product, strategy, and brand. As Design Director at Studio Rodrigo, he guides multi-disciplinary teams on projects mainly for the digital world. Aldo also curates Cinema Rodrigo, a film club where friends and fellow creatives come together once a month to watch a film and discuss it over drinks and snacks.

Ali Ciatti leads Climate & Sustainability Creator Partnerships at YouTube, where she works with global creators to elevate climate storytelling and drive meaningful action. With a background in social impact and digital strategy, she builds partnerships that connect content with cause. Ali is passionate about using the power of video to inspire collective imagination and solutions for a livable future.

Caleb Smith (they/them) is the Resiliency Coordinator at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. They are a lead facilitator of the Extreme Heat Coalition launched as an extension of the Heat, Health, and Equity Initiative. The Coalition seeks to protect urban residents from heat stress through policy, adaptation, and mitigation strategies by integrating nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, social resilience planning, as well as renewable and affordable energy programs. Caleb is also a participant in the Rainproof NYC Collaboration, designed to innovate a new process by which NYC agency staff and community leaders could identify and recommend strategies and policies to adapt to increased heavy rainfall. Caleb received a Bachelor of Arts in Politics at the University of San Francisco and Master of Public Administration in Environmental Science and Policy at Columbia University. Previously they served as a Special Assistant to the Mayor in Oakland, where they worked to address illegal dumping, co-facilitated a local Environmental Justice Working Group, and helped implement community-led projects to serve local frontline communities as part of the Better Neighborhoods, Same Neighbors Initiative.

Chandra Simon Ritvo is a seasoned filmmaker and environmental advocate with two decades of experience working at the intersection of sustainability and storytelling. Her award-winning work, spanning feature films, documentaries, and television series, has been showcased on major networks like HBO, CBS, and PBS, as well as at film festivals such as Sundance and Tribeca. Currently at Netflix, Chandra serves as an in-house advisor to creators who wish to incorporate environmental themes into their stories. Chandra holds a Master’s of Environmental Science from Yale University and a BFA in Film and Television Production from NYU. While in graduate school, Chandra served as Executive Director of the Environmental Film Festival at Yale (EFFY), playing a pivotal role in its growth as a leading venue for environmental filmmakers. She is also a fellow of the National Audubon Society and the National Tropical Botanical Garden, and a member of the Producers Guild of America.

Cheryl Slean is a writer/director/producer of film, theater, and fiction, and a seasoned champion of climate representation in entertainment. She currently leads the US program for Climate Spring, a visionary UK-based global content development fund. She previously led Sustainability Creative at Netflix, providing education and content support across a wide variety of films, series, and games. She co-founded NRDC’s Rewrite the Future climate in entertainment program, and created and co-produced VisionLA, a grassroots climate action arts festival. Cheryl’s work to accelerate our transition to a regenerative economy is founded in the heartfelt wish that all the wild things (including people) may flourish and thrive.

Colby Minifie is a NYC native who can currently be seen as a series regular on the Amazon series THE BOYS and has appeared in both spinoffs GEN V and DIABOLICAL. Additional TV credits include: Recurring roles on AMC’s FEAR THE WALKING DEAD, Amazon’s THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL and Netflix’s JESSICA JONES, as well as guest appearances on CBS’s MADAM SECRETARY, NBC’s THE BLACKLIST and Showtime’s NURSE JACKIE. Films include: THE SURRENDER (Shudder), HOMEBODY (based off of the short I WAS IN YOUR BLOOD), Netflix’s I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, THE SUPER, RADIUM GIRLS, and SUBMISSION. Notable stage credits include: the Broadway revival of SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION with Allison Janney, Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT alongside Jessica Lange, Gabriel Byrne, and Michael Shannon, the very successful Off-Broadway run of PUNK ROCK for MCC Theater, EPIPHANY for Lincoln Center, and CLOSE UP SPACE opposite David Hyde Pierce for Manhattan Theater Club. 

Harry Winer is a director, producer, and writer with over 30 years of experience in film and television. He holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from the University of Southern California School of Cinema, where he was awarded the American Film Institute Directors Scholarship. He directed the motion pictures SPACECAMP, HOUSE ARREST, RIOT, and DAMAGED CARE. In addition, he has directed, produced, and/or written over 25 films, miniseries, and television pilots and created over 60 hours of series television. As President of SMASH MEDIA, INC., Winer produces motion pictures, e.g., the international theatrical co-production THE EXPATRIATE (aka ERASED), starring Aaron Eckhart and Olga Kurylenko, THE DOORMAN, starring Ruby Rose and Jean Reno, in addition to films for television like PERFECT MATCH and BRAMBLE HOUSE CHRISTMAS for the Hallmark Channel. Currently he is producing THE SINGER, starring Jean Reno and Laly Esposito. Mr. Winer’s work has garnered Emmys, Golden Globes, and a Christopher Award. His films have premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and Shanghai International Film Festival. He is affiliated with the DGA and WGA. Winer is an Arts Professor at the Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, teaching Directing and Production. He is also on the Executive Board of the Green Film School Alliance.

Jamil Ellis is the CEO of Unified Ground, a public benefit technology company focused on democratizing access to artificial intelligence through its flagship initiative, AI Empower. Designed in collaboration with community-based organizations and academic partners, AI Empower provides frontline climate and environmental justice groups with open-source AI tools, training, and governance frameworks—ensuring that those most impacted by the climate crisis can shape the technologies that define our future. Beyond tech, Jamil is a storyteller and educator. He co-hosts the podcast Ellis Conversations, exploring race, law, and history in dialogue with his father, a former federal judge. He also performs spoken word and other creative work under the moniker “Brooklyn Dad.”

JaRel Clay is the Associate Senior Director of Digital and Production at the Hip Hop Caucus. He is an activist, entrepreneur, and expert in digital engagement, storytelling, and brand development, overseeing Caucus Productions, the media production and content hub for Hip Hop Caucus. JaRel has produced short films and limited series for the Caucus, including the award-winning “Ain't Your Mama's Heat Wave” and “Underwater Projects.” He is the director of “Weathering the Storm 20 Years After Hurricane Katrina” and “Green the Black: Unpaving the Concrete Jungle.” His work has been nominated for NAACP Image Awards and a Webby Award.

Jeannette Williams is a mission-driven strategist and the COO at the Urban Future Lab at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. UFL is the longest existing climatetech incubator in New York State and is home to the ACRE Incubator, the Clean Start Program, the Carbon to Value Initiative, the Offshore Wind Innovation Hub and the Innovate UK Global Incubator Programme. In typical COO fashion, Jeannette wears many hats. She leads UFL’s special projects and events, including the Urban Future Forum and Climate Is the New Economy, which aim to de-silo information within climatetech and build partnerships between innovators and the communities impacted by new climate technologies. Prior to joining UFL, she held leadership roles at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Penguin Random House, and Core Knowledge Foundation, focused on making complex content accessible and actionable for all.

Jessica Harrop is an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker who has dedicated her career to inspiring passion about science through film. She is the Executive Director of Sandbox Films, where she oversees all project decisions and company strategy and acts as an executive producer for Sandbox Films documentaries — including Oscar-nominated Fire of Love; Sundance Special Jury-Prize winning All Light, Everywhere and Nocturnes; Emmy-winning Fathom; and Fireball, a documentary directed by Werner Herzog. Jessica has produced content for a variety of outlets including Netflix, Showtime, Discovery, National Geographic, and PBS. She holds a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a Certificate in Theater from Princeton University, where she also co-taught an undergraduate film course on communicating climate change. Jessica serves on the board of Reel Works Teen Filmmaking. 

Dr. Len Necefer, Ph.D., is the CEO & Founder of NativesOutdoors – a native-owned athletic and creative collective. He holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering and a Doctorate in Engineering and Public Policy from Carnegie Mellon University. Previous to this role, Len has worked for the U.S. Department of Energy and, most recently, the University of Arizona. His work melds the intersection of sport, environmental advocacy, and indigenous peoples. His storytelling work melds the intersection of sport, environmental advocacy, and indigenous people and has been featured in the Alpinist, National Geographic, and over 50 film festivals globally.

Nakorn Chaisri is a Bangkok-based filmmaker and a film programmer. He has contributed as a selection committee member to festivals including AFI Fest, AFI Docs, Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, and Thai Short Film and Video Festival. Nakorn currently serves as the artistic director of the Changing Climate, Changing Lives Film Festival, a film festival in Thailand centered on the theme of climate change.

Nancy Rosenthal is Founder & Executive Director of the New York WILD Film Festival (2014-2024). She strongly believes in the power of film to engage audiences in exploration, conservation, and environmental advocacy and to effect change. Before New York WILD she made a variety of award-winning films about the natural world for National Geographic. Nancy is a member of the Board of Directors of The Explorers Club and a Trustee of Egan Maritime Institute, Nantucket, MA. She is also on the Advisory Board of Wildlife Conservation Society’s REEL WILD Film Festival and Pridelands Wildlife Film Festival. Outside of her love for film she is a passionate conservationist, avid sailor, and scuba diver.

Rebecca Strawn (she/her) collaborates with storytellers, filmmakers, and industry professionals to integrate climate change narratives into film and television projects. Rebecca works across the Entertainment Partnerships and Rewrite the Future teams at NRDC to help shift the cultural narrative around the climate crisis through pop culture, entertainment, art, and storytelling. Her projects include NRDC's Climate Storytelling Fellowship, NRDC’s Night of Comedy (Los Angeles and New York City), Netflix is a Joke Fest, Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, Climate Film Festival, and the Hollywood Climate Summit. Prior to NRDC, she worked as an impact strategist and producer for documentary films at Picture Motion. Selected projects included TIME, The Fight, A Thousand Cuts, Paris to Pittsburgh, and Free Solo. Rebecca is based in New York City.

Ricardo Benavidez serves as Director at The Carmack Collective, where he leads the organization’s grantmaking strategy, oversees strategic initiatives, and provides leadership to the advisory board. His work is grounded in a commitment to climate justice and a belief in the power of frontline movements to drive systemic change. In addition to his role at The Carmack Collective, Ricardo is an Associate Director at Ktisis Capital, advising foundations and donors on values-aligned giving strategies that advance racial, social, economic, and environmental justice. He is a fellow of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Global Leadership Network and holds a Master’s in Public Administration.​ Ricardo brings a decade of experience in philanthropic advising, movement building, and civic engagement. His work is guided by a trust-based approach to philanthropy that centers equity, shifts power, and honors the expertise of those most impacted by injustice.​